You dream of making it to MLB.
You dream of hitting a home run.
You dream of doing it front of the family that has endured all of your highs and lows, not only in baseball, but in life.
Then not only do you hit a home run - on the first pitch you see in your first at bat, but you then proceed to do it 2 more times and set a MLB record for three consecutive home runs to start a career.
Can you even imagine what is running through this young mans head right now?
#STLCards
#OTD 2009 - On the day he is traded by the A's to the Cardinals, Matt Holliday collects four hits, drives in a run, and steals a base in his debut with the Cardinals
He had to borrow a glove and shoes from his new teammates before the Redbirds' 8 - 1 win over the Phillies.
#STLCards
This was not an All-Star break for St. Louis. This was the moment we have waited years to witness. Cardinals baseball has returned to full form.
Jordan Walker won the first Home Run Derby in franchise history in quite literally the most dramatic fashion possible. Standing up in my living room, feeling like a kid in the 2000s cheering on an Albert blast was special. The suspense in between every take, every swing, and every camera pan of the ball was as poetic as it gets. Cardinals fans and baseball fans alike were all tuned into the same moment and same story unfold in real time. This is what Cardinals baseball is supposed to feel like.
And the timing could not be better. St. Louis sits at 50 and 45 heading into the break, one game out of the third National League Wild Card spot, and this was supposed to be a rebuild year. Chaim Bloom took this job promising a return to the organization’s roots of developing talent from within, and less than a year into his tenure, we are watching it happen in real time. Jordan Walker is not a hype tweet or a projection anymore. He is a Home Run Derby champion on the national stage with a $1 million check to prove it.
Oli Marmol deserves his flowers too. This club could have folded in June when the offense went cold, but instead they steadied themselves and are clinging to contention with a rotation that has been shockingly stable and a bullpen that has found somewhat of a footing. That is a manager keeping a young clubhouse locked in through the ups and downs of a long season.
The other star cast is what makes this run feel real. JJ Wetherholt has been everything the Cardinals hoped for out of the middle infield since day one. Masyn Winn continues to be one of the best two way shortstops in the league. Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson keep grinding out quality at bats every single night in the middle of that lineup.
The deadline is coming, and Bloom has a decision to make. Buy, hold, or sell. But for the first time in a long time, that decision does not feel like a formality. It feels like a real choice, because this young core has given St. Louis a reason to believe again. Go Birds.
Mark McGwire never won a Home Run Derby in a Cardinals uniform. Neither did Albert Pujols. No St. Louis player had ever won the event...
Until Jordan Walker.
I've been a captain, an assistant captain, and a leader without wearing a letter.
Leadership has never been about the title. It's about the example you set.
Jordan Kyrou in his full 8-year Blues career:
— 16:20 TOI/GP
— 488 Games Played
— 168 Goals (13th most STL history)
— 210 Assists
— 378 Points
— -21 Plus/Minus
Thank you for everything, Rouzy 🥹🫡